


Box of Memories

by callmetash



Category: The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Drabble Collection, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-16
Updated: 2013-08-16
Packaged: 2017-12-23 16:37:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 3,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/928726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/callmetash/pseuds/callmetash
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Leo/Reyna oneshots; AU from the end of The Son of Neptune.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. i. notice

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: The Heroes of Olympus series belongs to Rick Riordan.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She's everything he ever wanted in a girl.

_notice_

She's everything he ever wanted in a girl.

Reyna doesn't take any nonsense, has a great poker face and is breathtakingly beautiful. She probably has a crush on Jason judging from the looks she gives him over dinner (not that he was staring or anything) and she thinks he's an idiot.

Basically, she's beautiful and unattainable. That makes her perfect for Leo.

Jason's trying to figure out the confusing puzzle that is his relationship with Reyna, which leave Leo and Piper slightly uncomfortable. They don't belong here, they don't really know Jason like Reyna does, and she likes him a lot – that's apparent. But one day he stops heading towards the Praetor's villas on the end of the  _Via Principalis_ unless he's heading to bed himself. Leo notes that Reyna stops looking in Jason's direction at dinner, and he's quite sure they've come to some conclusion on what their relationship is now. Piper's still got the majority of Jason's affections.

And although it's selfish and cruel for him to be thinking this way, Leo can't help but think:  _Hey, at least I have a shot now!_

Reyna still ignores him, much like Thalia did when they first met. (They're on civil terms now; his crush has faded because of his devotion to constructing the  _Argo II_ , although he does get glared at when he uses some corny pick-up lines for fun.) In fact, at this rate, Reyna's probably more likely to end up with Percy than she is with Leo, even though everyone knows Percy and Annabeth are pretty much the perfect couple. Aphrodite drills  _that_ into their heads.

He needs to impress her. He brings up the massive Greek warship he's built, but apparently to Miss Praetor of the Twelfth Legion, that's not impressive. ("Is there anything else someone would like to add to this discussion?" "I designed the  _Argo II_ when I was five years old. And then Hera made my plans fly away and I burned my hands into the wood of a park bench." "… Anyone?")

Either he's invisible, or he needs new material. After she ignores him the next day, he decides it's because he needs something else to impress the daughter of Bellona.

He tries  _everything_ – corny pick-up lines, jokes, random statements that make him seem particularly awesome, but Reyna ignores him as if he's merely a fly on the wall. She doesn't notice him at all, and it bugs him.

In his frustration, he finds himself overheating and causes a fair few people the shock of their lives as he walks around Camp Jupiter with his head on fire. Percy has to run by him and douse him in river water to stop him from exploding into flame.

Reyna stares at him, eyes wide. His power is extremely dangerous and it's obvious that even here, among the mighty Romans, it's a rare ability. She stares at him for a long time, before shaking her head. And all Leo can be happy about is that she's actually –  _finally_ – noticed him.


	2. ii. grave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the first time in her memory, Leo actually looks solemn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: The Heroes of Olympus series belongs to Rick Riordan.

_grave_

Reyna knows, as they step past all the tombstones and graveyards, that Leo's bared a lot to bring her here. First of all, he hasn't been in his hometown for years, and by the way he's holding her hand, he's terrified. But still, they walk, and for the first time in her memory, Leo actually looks solemn.

They had to ask where the grave was located; Leo doesn't quite remember where it was and Reyna thinks that isn't something you wanted committed to memory. She stood behind him as Leo hoarsely mentioned his mother's name, and the groundskeeper pointed them in the general direction.

In her other hand, she holds a small bouquet of flowers which they bought from the florist not too far from here. She had to take them from Leo when they began to wilt; he was overheating. His hand is still warm, but cooler than before. She likes to think it's her presence that's keeping him cool, calm and collected.

Leo's breath hitches, and she knows that they're there. She turns slowly, and it's most beautifully made tombstone she's ever seen. It's carved to perfection and it makes everything else fade in comparison. The gods, if not just Vulcan, have made sure this tombstone was memorable, and it stuns the pair for a few moments as they try to take it all in.

Slowly, he falls to his knees, and reaches out to touch the tombstone. He looks so young, younger than she's ever seen him, and all he manages to say is  _"Mama,"_  in a small, childlike whisper.

She doesn't know what to do. She's never seen him so fragile like this before. She's horrible at comforting. Hylla had always been the one making sure nothing bad had happened to her, never reversed. So she cautiously crouches down alongside him, places the flowers in front of them and reads the tombstone:

_Esperanza Valdez_  
1971 – 2002  
Hija de Samuel y Olivia  
Hermana de Rosa  
La madre del héroe poco convencional  
Amado por los dioses 

_Descanse en paz._

Time has made it harder for Reyna to read Spanish (it's much easier to speak, she thinks). But still, her eyes decipher the words and they begin to make sense in her head. She doesn't really need to know. From the way Leo's looking,  _he_  knows what they say and that's all that matters. If it holds a hidden meaning and he wants to tell her about it, he will.

As it so happens, he begins muttering the words on the tombstone under his breath. "The mother of the unconventional hero… loved by the gods.  _Descanse en paz._ "

His name isn't on there, but he is labelled a hero. Anyone who will visit Esperanza Valdez here will know that. The thought makes Reyna's chest puff with pride. Leo doesn't think he's a hero, but she knows he is. She has heard of what he did in Greece. She has faith in him.

Her hand makes it onto his shoulder, and she looks at him briefly before turning back to the tombstone. He remembers she's there, and he reaches for her hand and squeezes. They sit there in silence. Reyna spots the Greek  _Eta_ letter, and she knows Vulcan (or at least, Hephaestus) had been here. While she is seizing on little details, Leo is remembering the woman who lies under their feet.

Finally, Leo speaks.

" _Mama_ ," he says, taking Reyna's hand off his shoulder and holding it by his lap, "This is Reyna. Queenie, this is Mom."

Reyna smiles softly, and introduces herself to his mother, someone she's beginning to wish she had the proper opportunity to get to know. "Hello, Miss Valdez," she says. "I'm Reyna and I really like your son."

"You were the only one who thought a pretty girl would actually like me. And now she's here, Mom. Thanks."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Esperanza's gravestone (hopefully reads) as her being the daughter of Samuel and Olivia, the sister of Rosa, the mother of an unconventional hero, loved by the gods--Rest in Peace. Hopefully. I did have to use Google Translate for that. If there's anything wrong with the translations or anything, please shoot me a message so I can change it. x


	3. iii. deny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gods of Olympus, she is so pathetic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: The Heroes of Olympus series belongs to Rick Riordan.

_deny_

"I don't like Leo Valdez. I don't like Leo Valdez…"

The daughter of Bellona stops her pacing. Slowly, she realizes how  _stupid_  she sounds. She's in Greece, helping to fight the Giants and the Earth Mother, putting her life and the life of her legionnaires at risk. They're weak and tired, especially after the first battle in New York. And all she can think about is a stupid crush because there is  _every_ single chance that Leo Valdez won't survive until tomorrow morning.

It always happens during a war, Reyna notes. For a fleeting moment, she's reminded of when she was too shy to hold her hands over the table in the  _principia_  while she and Jason were looking over battle plans for fear of brushing her fingers with his. It seems like a lifetime ago, because everything's changed since then. New enemies have risen, new alliances have been forged... and new relationships have bloomed in the dust of those that could've been.

She wonders if Venus has a personal vendetta against her for accidentally putting herself at the receiving end of Jason Grace's affections. Because she knows that he is Piper's and all she wants is to fight with a clear head and not worry about stupid sons of Hephaestus as they fought for their lives and for Western Civilization. Hadn't they already discussed this a while ago?

Gods of Olympus, she is so  _pathetic_.

She remembers when she met up with the Seven, battle-hardened, putting up a united front that many had admitted was still rather shaky. They looked grim, pushed to breaking point, but determined. Reyna has a feeling that all seven have them have made themselves assume that they are most likely going to die, but they will do so with a fight of epic proportions.

She doesn't know what they've been through. She doesn't know what Leo's been through, but he still manages to smile at her, and shoot a "Hey, Queenie" in her direction. There's something so familiar about Leo, even though she hasn't seen him in months. He's a constant, something that even Jason didn't turn out to be.

It's then she realizes that yes, she really does like Leo Valdez. And she doesn't know him as well as she should, but he makes her feel happy. That even though they might die tomorrow and Gaea may destroy everything they've ever known, Leo will still be there to call her Queenie and annoy the crap out of her. He was gone, but he was still mentioning the Telenovelas he needed to catch up on and still trying to impress her. The fact of the matter is, he might make himself scarce, but Leo's essence  _never_ leaves.

Memories of Leo do not make her lonely. Instead, it is like she has a constant companion that is willing to annoy her to prove a point.

But this is a war, and Leo Valdez is one of Olympus' most valuable warriors. She is not going to tell him about her feelings when he is needed to save the world. She is not selfish. The world is much more important than just her.

She continues her pacing.

"I don't like Leo Valdez. I don't like Leo Valdez…"

The war will be over soon. No matter the result, she will no longer have to hide or deny things she feels. But until then, she buries them inside, ready to fight like the warrior she was born to be – without the blinding distraction of Venus' curse.


	4. iv. snuggle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Leo Valdez, you better not be wearing your mechanic clothes. I don't want grease on my pyjamas."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: The Heroes of Olympus series belongs to Rick Riordan.

_snuggle_

"Please tell me you didn't start  _El Amor en Fuego_  without me, Queenie. I was dying to watch that."

She gives her boyfriend a strange look. "Gods, do you really think me that heartless?"

He kisses her briefly on the temple, before jumping onto the couch with their bag of Chinese food that he picked up on the way home. She'd been home sick, and she was beginning to feel a little better. After all, she'd been either sleeping or watching TV. Surely those acted as foolproof ways of feeling well again.

He sets up the DVR to the telenovela they had been extremely interested in and promised to start watching after they finished a few others. He looks at their remote, probably wondering if he can make it even more sophisticated than it already is, before sighing and throwing it onto their coffee table. (The way he'd modified it, it was more than likely to survive being bombed.)

As he begins to steal Reyna's blanket so he can snuggle with her, she gives him a sharp glare. "Leo Valdez, you better not be wearing your mechanic clothes. I don't want grease on my pyjamas."

He sighs, before standing up wearily standing and heading into the bedroom to go change. "The things I do for you," he grumbles under his breath.

She just shakes her head. "Hurry up, or I'm pressing play!"

He hurries back, wearing his Human Torch pyjamas Jason had given him for Christmas. She'd never understood the reference, but the son of Jupiter had been doubled over in tears after explaining what he had told Leo on their first quest... and what Leo had done in desperate measures in Greece.

She moves over slightly so he has enough space on the couch. They still sit shoulder-to-shoulder, she notes, as he presses play. She takes out his food, rather hungry, and settles in as the telenovela begins to start. It's during times like these, she wonders if this is what it's like to be boringly normal.

It's rather nice, she thinks.


	5. v. staples

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You don't understand, Queenie. These are staples."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: The Heroes of Olympus series belongs to Rick Riordan.

_staples_

"We don't need these. These aren't necessary staples. I thought we agreed - staples first, luxuries later."

"You don't understand, Queenie. These  _are_  staples."

Reyna gives Leo a stern look, but the son of Hephaestus just tries his hand at solemn nodding.

"You need to return these." She attempts to ignore the fact she sounds like she's scolding a child.

"But Rey-"

"No buts." She picks up the assortment of junk food Leo has dumped into the shopping cart, shoving it back in his arms. "Put them back."

"Please, Reyna?" Leo whines. The more this argument continues, the more he sounds like a child.

Reyna's assertiveness falters for a moment. She was usually distracted by the way Leo said her name when he decided to. "Later, Leo," was what she finally said. "Can you get the bread, please?"

"And leave these in the cart?" His eyes are hopeful.

"No. You can return them as you go past."

Leo's grin fades and he begins to scowl, the packet of Doritos clutched closely to his chest. Reyna wonders if this was a bad idea - after all, when annoyed, Leo Valdez could start large fires. But he walks out of the aisle without smoke coming out of his ears, so she decides that he'll live, regardless of his disjointed mutterings.

They've discovered that shopping together is a very hard task. Like most things about them and their relationship, they share a common interest (food), but they go in completely different directions to attain the object in question. Having lived on the run with a sister who knew nutrition was important, Reyna knows staples are priorities. Leo, who grew up alone and stealing from convenience stores, enjoys caffeine (not that he needs any), sugar and processed products.

Of course, that's not to say that they didn't  _like_  each other's preferences; it was just they valued them differently. Leo believed he could survive eating bags of potato chips. Reyna begged to differ. She'd done it for a week and become so unbearably sluggish that she never overloaded herself with chips ever again.

Five minutes later however, Leo comes back with that particular bread that she likes but she knows he doesn't, not really, but he puts up with it anyway. So she allows Leo to put the bag of Doritos back into the cart and sneaks in another bag. She's willing to compromise.

Of course, her whole ramble on how staples come first and luxuries come later becomes moot when he picks up the packet of jellybeans, stashed away at the bottom of the cart, ready to be checked out with the other items. He has the grace not to say anything; instead, he just raises an eyebrow.

"They're staples," Reyna hurries to explain, because she can't live without her jellybeans; she just can't. In retaliation, he throws in two chocolate bars.

Leo checks the receipt and informs her after a few calculations that they nearly used up all the food kitty funds. She realizes that they didn't buy butter. But he reminds her that they did get their "staples" first (he strokes the bag full of junk food affectionately) - and that they'll survive without butter, at least for a week.

She finds that she has to agree.


	6. vi. snore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fearless and dangerous Reyna, praetor of the Twelfth Legion, is lightly snoring into a stack of Cohort Allocations.

_snore_

It can't be healthy, Leo thinks, as he approaches the principia. She pulled an all-nighter yesterday and it's already nearly midnight. He's truly hoping the Romans don't expect their praetor to work that hard.

(He's gotten to know them, though, and he doubts it. It's probably more a Reyna thing, which wouldn't really surprise him at all.)

Leo is ready to barge in and tell Reyna that she should get her queenly butt to bed, pronto, when he hears a strange noise coming from the desk in the opposite side of the room.

Snoring.

Aurum and Argentum are lying on either sides of the praetor's desk, one eye half-heartedly trying to protect their owner. Reyna, on the other hand, is long gone. She is still holding her pen with a firm grip, but her body is totally slouched over, hair beginning to unravel from her messy braid. Leo swears that there is ink on her cheek, smudged from where she signed the paperwork last.

There are times when Leo wishes he has a camera. There was that time Percy got to gloat over something he knew that Annabeth didn't, the time when Annabeth nearly stabbed Percy during Capture the Flag, every single time Jason gets pranked — but really, he's never wanted a camera more than now, at this moment.

The fearless and dangerous Reyna, praetor of the Twelfth Legion, is lightly snoring into a stack of Cohort Allocations.


	7. vii. karaoke

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Y'all will be swooning over my performance, let me tell you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: The Heroes of Olympus series belongs to Rick Riordan.

_karaoke_

Reyna doesn't understand why they thought this was a good idea. But it's her last night in New York after her first ambassador duties at Camp Half-Blood, so they've all decided they'd have a group night out. She's figured that this is more for their enjoyment than her own.

It's Hazel who casually mentions she still doesn't know what a karaoke bar is, but it's Percy and Leo who battle long and hard for it to be their destination. Frank tries to explain there isn't anything really good about them (and she fervently agrees). Jason and Piper don't really care, so when Annabeth breaks under Percy's pleading, she and Frank resign themselves to the fact there's no other choice.

The karaoke bar is tacky, loud, and Reyna's pretty sure there's a hen's night going on in front of them. Percy's green eyes light up in excitement and Piper flips through the song book. She feels uncomfortable here – she has a feeling, even if she was just a regular mortal, this wouldn't be her scene – but jokes are being shared and it feels nice to be included into this secret clique. (She's no Hero of Olympus, after all.)

Arguing ensues when Piper doesn't know what to sing, so Leo snatches the book from her grasp. "You're taking too long," he says. He begins to shuffle through the papers, eyes darting from page to page, looking for the song of his choice. "Aha!" He looks up and winks at Reyna. "Y'all will be swooning over my performance, let me tell you."

The music starts up in a few moments, and she's surprised at the fact she actually recognises the song. She'd assumed that he would be singing a song from one of his famous classic bands, but this isn't anything like that.

It's the song she plays when she works out.

Leo knows it word for word, but his pitch is off-key and he is dancing wildly, limbs flailing, eyebrows waggling. He sounds like a dying cat, but Leo is having the time of his life and he occasionally grins in her direction, as if this is meant to be seductive.

The others have written the performance of as Leo just being Leo, but Reyna laughs, harder than she has in their presence before, and they seem bemused by it. Leo just grins harder and acts more ridiculous until she can hardly breathe.

When he's finished, he bows dramatically, a stupid grin plastered on his face. Reyna's still gasping for air, tears running down her cheeks and her face feeling incredibly hot.

"Tell me, Reyna," he says, "How good was I?"

It takes her a moment before she can speak.

"Don't quit your day job, Valdez."

 


	8. viii. wii

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "What do you mean, I'm banned from playing on the Wii?!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: The Heroes of Olympus series belongs to Rick Riordan.

_wii_

There are both pros and cons to Camp Jupiter having a Wii. The obvious pro, of course, is that Leo Valdez can show everyone who is the ultimate king of video games; the massive con, is that he has a problem with hoarding Wii remotes.

He honestly tries not to, but it's become unconscious at this point. It all began when he was looking for suitable controllers for the  _Argo II_ , and because his Wii controller prototypes had gone a bit haywire (if you called spontaneous combustions and honing devices for monsters  _haywire_ ), the reflex need for him to get more of them is deeply embedded into him.

Still, he doesn't think it's a massive problem—they've all got their quirks, it's what demigods were good at—at least, until, Reyna gives him the bad news.

"What do you mean, I'm banned from playing on the Wii?!"

"Exactly that, Valdez," Reyna says, looking weary. "Every time you come here, all of our Wii remotes go missing. Everyone is tired of replacing them, so the solution is obviously stopping you from taking them."

"I don't take them on purpose, Queenie!"

"It doesn't mean it makes it any cheaper to deal with." Sighing and flopping onto her couch, she rubs her temples. "Look, Leo, I know you like playing the Wii. But it's for our legionnaires, and if they can't enjoy it because you keep stealing the controllers—"

"Okay, fine." He tries to earn her pity by plastering on a heartbroken face. Reyna's face doesn't change, so he guesses she's not buying it. (Or she is, but she's not letting it show—he's not entirely sure, but he's admittedly leaning to the former.)

He spends three days at Camp Jupiter, mostly doing some voluntary maintenance on some of their automatons and machines before heading back to the east coast. None of the new Wii controllers go missing and he doesn't kick up a fuss the whole time he's there. Only Reyna catches the wistful gaze he shoots the rec room before he leaves.

He comes back three weeks later after Aurum short-circuits and is feeling rather ill. After checking him over, Reyna makes him sit down in her small lounge in her villa while she goes and gets him some water.

That's when he sees it.

"Queenie, is that—?"

_The only Wii to be used by Leo Valdez; BYO Wii Remotes._

"It's a thank you gift for making Aurum better," she says, handing him the glass. "Don't get too weepy."

The two Wii controllers that accompany the console never go missing, but they have a tendency to activate strange things that begin blaring Leo's eternal gratitude to the "beautiful and compassionate" praetor.

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally posted on FanFiction.Net. I've marked it complete here at eight chapters, because after the final books in _The Heroes of Olympus_ series were released, my Leo/Reyna ship ultimately sunk like the Titanic and I haven't really had the urge to write more drabbles since. Anyway, I still hope any Leyna shippers out there still enjoy the work (because I really did ship them super bad), and all feedback is still appreciated!


End file.
